Samsung 850 Pro 128GB SSD Review

[section_title title=”Conclusion”]Conclusion

Having had the pleasure to be given the opportunity to try out the new Samsung 850 Pro at least a week or two before release, I had a good chance to have a play around, test and use it on a daily basis prior to writing this conclusion.  The big question remains though, is it a good option for someone who already has an SSD looking for an upgrade, or a first time user?  How is the performance?  Let’s crack on with my final thoughts…

Starting out with the performance, I have to say this has probably been the best SSD I have ever tested based on overall performance; this is based on a few things.  First of all, the Samsung 850 Pro uses the latest 24 layer 3D V-NAND technology which had previously only featured on enterprise products for data centres; this makes the 850 Pro the world’s first consumer SSD to make use of this.  Secondly via the Samsung Magician software you can enable RAPID, which over the previous Samsung 840 EVO drive we previously tested, has had a total revamp and now seems to be optimised for much faster read speed performance; totally crazy speeds were hit.  Last but not least, there is improved performance over the previous 840 models meaning Samsung are clearly going in the right direction and not just re-branding old SSDs to make new sales; the new Samsung NAND is clearly a winner!

Design wise, the Samsung 850 Pro features a very nice black finish which I mentioned during the closer look, sparkles when direct light is shone upon the exterior casing which could be good for someone with case LEDs or those wanting something different.  The main aesthetic feature here is the red square which offers a nice contrast and with the majority of motherboards/graphics cards brands going with red and black themes themselves, I am sure this will please consumers looking to colour match their systems.

Samsung Magician is another thing completely which in my opinion makes the Samsung SSDs stand out from the rest.  Not only is data migration available via Samsung, but the magician software includes a host of tools including SSD/OS optimisation (Windows 7/8) and of course comes with a in-built performance benchmark to see how your SSD performs without the need for any 3^rd party software.  It has a very nice interface, it flows very well and it is simple to use; everything you could want in a software package.

Another point to touch on is the efficiency in terms of power management that the Samsung 850 SSDs boast, this is extremely useful if you need an SSD for a laptop and want to squeeze every last drop of battery power out.  In addition to this, Samsung have included a 10 year limited warranty with all 850 Pro SSDs which is double over the 840 Pro (5 years).  This is sure to please consumers and enthusiasts alike as 10 years is a long time and I generally upgrade every couple of years; meaning you have a guaranteed working SSD for 10 years, fantastic.

Last but not least we have the price which is still currently waiting to be confirmed.  This could be the huge selling point with the 850 Pro as I would expect the 128GB model to be around £100 which to me, would be the ideal price point given the current price of SSDs and the saturation they face currently on the open market.

Overall the Samsung 850 128GB SSD not only delivers superb performance, but it oozes class which I have yet to see with any other brand of SSD.  Is it beatable?  At the moment it doesn’t look like it but I’m sure other companies will be hot on their heels eventually!

Big thanks to Samsung for sending the 128GB 850 Pro in for review and I look forward to seeing more in the not too distant future.